In a multi-SIM (subscriber identity module) scenario, a mobile-device user may have multiple devices that share a single phone number and/or subscriber identity. A SIM may be part of a removable smart card ICC (Integrated Circuit Card), also referred to as a SIM card, for mobile telephony devices, such as mobile computers and mobile phones. SIM cards may be used for securely storing the service-subscriber key used to identify a subscriber. A SIM card allows users to change mobile devices (e.g., phones) by simply removing the SIM card from one mobile device and inserting it into a different mobile device.
In a multi-SIM service, there may be two (or more) SIM cards with the same phone number such that it is possible to have incoming phone calls and other services, like messages, directed to two devices at the same time. For example, a user, using two phones, but having only one phone number, may be reached via either of the two phones.
Such a scenario may cause problems, though, due to the two mobile devices not communicating with each other. Automatic communication between such mobile devices is typically not possible, as the SIM cards' phone numbers are not mediated to the phones in which the SIM cards are placed. This means that the phone in which the SIM card is placed is not aware of the number of the SIM card. Thus, it is not possible for the device to automatically check whether two SIM cards have the same number. Instead, the input for this information may come from some other source, e.g., the user of the phone.
For example, in the case of an incoming call to a mobile phone, the call is typically alerted in both phones. Once the call is answered in one of the phones, it remains as a missed call in the other phone. This makes it difficult to track which of the calls were really missed, and which ones were answered.
For example, suppose that a first mobile phone is in active use, and the other mobile phone is in silent mode in a user's hand bag. When taking the phone out of the hand bag after three days, the user notices that there are 23 missed calls. In reality, only 2 calls were actually missed (i.e., 21 calls were answered via the first phone). Finding out which calls were really missed requires a lot of manual work by the user. Further, because the phone clocks may be set to different times and one or both of the time settings of the phones may have changed since some or all of the calls have been received and/or missed, it may even be impossible to determine manually which calls were actually missed.
As such, improved techniques for automatically synchronizing data between mobile devices would advance the art.